Nightmares
by DarkKittyXx
Summary: When Chat Noir gets sent to the hospital after fighting an akuma, the happy town of Paris is turned upside down. Secrets are around every corner and burden whenever innocent person finds them. With tangles of ships, a new Hawk Moth, and too much stress, can our heroes survive this nightmarish life?
1. Just Friends

**Authors note:**

**Hi! This is my first fanfiction, so beware of horrible descriptions, terrible cliff hangers, and even worse chapter titles (read at your own risk). After saying all of that, I can't really say hope you like it, right?**

**Well, like or not, this is my first fanfiction, Nightmares (terrible note, I know).**

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It was a cool, crisp, late summer's day. Marinette Dupain-Cheng sat by Square Fountain, flipping through a fashion magazine. She stopped abruptly and looked around, then checked her watch, frowning. She glanced at her purse and looked questioningly at something inside.

"I wonder where they are Tikki," Marinette said. "It's already 10 minutes past time! Usually, I'm the one who's late!"

They both giggled. Tikki looked like she was about to say something when the sound of people approaching interrupted her.

"It's them. Hide, Tikki!"

A familiar voice cut through the air. "Hey, girl! "

Three figures walked towards her. Alya, Nino, and…

"_Adrien!_" Marinette could feel her cheeks burning as red as Tikki. She snuck a fierce glance at Alya before looked sheepishly back at Adrien.

Adrien laughed. "Alya invited me. Sorry, were you guys planning to do something?"

Marinette was to busy glaring at Alya to respond. Nino cut in for her. "Nah, it's chill, dude."He looked at Alya, than Marinette, and quickly added, "How about we all go grab a scoop from Andres?

Marinette licked her mint ice cream, savoring the sweet, cold, taste in her mouth. Alya walked over with her rocky road and apologized repeatedly to Marinette.

"I'm sorry about inviting Adrien over! I thought you guys had smoothed things out, okay?"

"Alya, for the seventeenth time, it's fine. You made it up with the ice cream."

"Thanks, Mari. I'll check with you next time about inviting Mr. Agreste." Alya said with a wink.

As Alya walked off to settle the bill, Marinette snuck Tikki some bits of her cone ( which Tikki greatly enjoyed ) and had a flashback to her 'incident' with Adrien.

It happened three days ago. Marinette was walking to class with Alya, who was pushing her to confess to Adrien.

"Mari, if you don't do it soon, Lila and Chloe will rip him in half."

"Don't forget Kagami," Marinette said in a dull voice. How was she, the Maritrash klutz who can't even say a word around Adrian, supposed confess to him with Lila, Chloe, and Kagami around?

"Look, there he is. C'mon Marinette!

Before Marinette could protest, a loud 'Adrikins!' cut through the air, and Marinette was sure it could be heard throughout Paris. Alya groaned. Chloe was hugging Adrien so tight that his backpack fell, and being unzipped, stuff went everywhere.

Chloe seemed to not have realized. She pulled Adrien's arm, trying to get him to leave.

"Hold on, Chloe. Let me get my stuff."

As Adrien bent over to pick up his binder, the bell rang. Alya dashed away, saying, "See you in class, Mari!" The hall was now devoid of people, except for Mari and Adrien, of course.

Marinette picked up some of Adrien pens and handed them to him, blushing furiously. "H-here, yours. I mean, here pens. I mean, here are your pens!"

Before she could think 'OMG I sound like an idiot' countless times, Adrien slipped his hand into hers. "Thanks for staying back, Mari. Most people are too worried about missing class to help."

Marinette could have squealed, she was so happy. Instead, she chose her words carefully.

"Adrian, I have to tell you something. I-I…."

"Yes?"

"I love you!" She blurted. She tried to run as fast as she could away from him but didn't even get to the corridor before Lila came out of nowhere and tripped her. Mari heard them laughing in the background, and ran faster, her feet slamming onto the tile floor. She turned out of the school building, her eyes watery, thinking, "Great job confessing, Mari. Now Adrian hates you."

Marinette heard footsteps coming towards her, and snapped out of her dream. She stared at Adrian walking towards her, and braced herself.

"Hey, Mari, you okay?"

She nodded.

Awkward pause.

Adrien spoke first. "So Marinette, I hope you're not mad at me about what happened on Monday. I'm really sorry Lila tripped you, and I was going to go help you, but…" his voice trailed off.

Marinette looked up. "You didn't have to apologize!" Her voice came out squeaky and unnaturally high pitched.

He looked at her with his perfect green eyes."Yes, I did. I could have run after you, and made it up right then and there. But I didn't. So, yes, I do have to apologize." He put his hand on hers.

Blue eyes met green, and their faces moved closer together. She closed her eyes.

Unexpectedly, he stood up"I'm glad that we're friends again, Mari!"

Marinette tried to hide her disappointment.

"You heard that Mari." She thought, "Just friends."


	2. The Stolen Kiss

**Authors Note:**

**I really didn't know what to do for this chapter. I just did what I could to increase the plot. I was going to jump right in to the meat of it, but I decided to save that for later. So if this chapter is kind of boring, you know why.**

Marinette looked up at Tikki from her bed, her mind racing as she recalled the days events.

"I think Adrien just wants me as a friend, Tikki. Maybe he still thinks I'm an idiot after that pen incident. Or maybe he liked me before that, but he thinks I need a doctor now… Or maybe he likes Kagami!"

"Or maybe you should stop worrying about it," said Tikki with a smile, "Things will work themselves out."

"You're right, Tikki. I should go to bed." Marinette yawned and cuddled up under her pink cover, staring at the closest poster of Adrien, looking into those familiar deep green eyes until she fell asleep.

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Sunlight shined through the window, falling on Marinette's face. She groaned and rolled over in her bed. "Don't tell me it's time for school, Tikki," Marinette complained.

"Yup, it's time for school Mari. Time for a new day. Time to try again with Adrien," Tikki recited, like she did everyday to get Marinette out of bed.

"Adrian, right!" Marinette's head shot up and she scrambled out of bed. Tikki giggled.

Fifteen minutes later, Marinette was downstairs, finishing her breakfast of freshly baked croissants. She swung her backpack on her shoulder and blew a kiss to her parents. "Bye! Have a nice day!"

"Au revoir, honey!" Her dad called back.

She smiled as she walked to school. Today was going to be a good day, she thought to herself. Today she was going to confess to Adrian. And then Adrian would tell her how he loved her too. And maybe they would talk about when they'd get married, and what to name their hamster.

"Marinette!" Tikki's voice snapped her out of her dreams. She glanced around and realized she was already at school. Just as she slipped in beside Alya, the bell rang. Alya smiled at her. "Just in time today, girl. Any interesting Adrien incidents I should know about?"

Marinette shook her head, laughing. "Nope. But I do have something even better." She reached into her bag and pulled out two salted caramel macarons, which the friends gobbled down before anyone could notice. Marinette glanced over at Chloe who was glaring at them, and then at Alya, who cried, "Adrikins!" The whole room turned to look at Chloe, and Marinette tried hard to stifle her laughter. Today was going to be great.

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Marinette sat outside the school, chatting with Tikki. She was in the bushes by the fencing arena. Adrien's fencing lessons would be over soon.

"You know, Tikki, I think today I might actually have the courage to come out of the bushes!"

They both laughed. Marinette had been hiding in the bushes everyday Adrien had fencing lessons, but she never had the courage to get up and say hi. Most of the time, it was because when she saw him she got all dreamy. Yesterday, she almost did it, but Kagami was talking with him. Her spirits dampened when she thought of it, but before she could reassure herself it was nothing, Adrien walked out laughing. He was by himself this time! Before Marinette could stand up, Kagami walked out behind him, also laughing at some inside joke. Suddenly, Kagami stopping and looked at Adrien. She pulled him towards her and their lips met. Adrien responded passionately to the kiss, and they did not pull away quickly. Marinette did not stay to watch. Holding in her sobs, she got up and ran from the boy whom she should have been kissing.


	3. Heart Song

Authors Note:

Yes I am still alive!

Sorry that I haven't been updated in forever. Also, the stuff that I promised in the summary, well you might have to wait a little longer before we get to all that. Sorry… but I NEED Lukanette to happen :) Also, sorry about this chapter being so short. I really didn't know what else to put to make it longer. One last thing- Hope you didn't mind that I deleted the last chapter, I needed to get rid of it to make the plot work.

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Marinette was running, for the second time that week, away from Adrien. And for the second time that week, Adrien was with another girl while Marinette ran. A girl who he was obviously more interested in. Embarrassed tears ran down her cheeks, dripping off her chin onto the ground.

After a few minutes of running, Marinette stopped and leaned against a wall, panting. She wiped her pale face with her equally white sleeve, and started walking. She let her feet take her where they wanted to, so that was one less thing to worry about. Her eyes still watered, but she ignored them and looked around. Every place seemed to remind her of Adrien. The posters of Adrien hung up everywhere. The steps where Adrien gave her his umbrella. Square Fountain, where she saw him after 'the incident'. She felt as if when she walked fast each place, she was forgetting, and letting go of her previously treasured memories.

After a few seconds of walking, she instinctively stopped. She looked to the lake and saw a boat, the word Liberty engraved on it.

"Oh no. We aren't stopping here." Marinette tried to push herself to leave, although she desperately wanted to stay. She tried to tell herself that she didn't want to disturb Luka. He probably thought she was crazy, just like Adrien. But before she could run away, she heard a sweet, melancholy melody. She whirled around to find a tall boy sitting behind her. His black nails carefully played each note, and his turquoise hair seemed to sway along to the beat. He seemed immersed in the music, but somehow very understanding of the things around him. Marinette let the music fill her up, and it perfectly matched the steady beat of her heart.

Luka finished the piece with long, slow strum. Marinette looked up, consoled so much by the music, she couldn't get out any words. But Luka seemed to understand. He stood up and walked over to Marinette. He put his hands on her shoulders, looking deep into her eyes. She collapsed into him, and he wrapped his arms around her. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest, letting his breathing comfort her.


	4. Kowareta

**Authors Note**

Hey guys! This chapter is going to be a flashback to Kagami and Adrien's kiss - from Kagami's perspective.

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Kagami side glanced at Adrien as she gulped water from her red thermos. She loved him so much- he just didn't realize it. They had become close friends over the past few days of fencing, but they were nothing more than friends. That was going to change. Today.

Adrien closed his water bottle and tossed it inside his duffel.

"Losing makes you pretty thirsty, huh?" Kagami joked. Adrien smiled. "Hey, if your red suit hadn't blinded me, and I hadn't almost tripped over your ruby satchel, I would've had this match in the bag." Kagami laughed, and tried to push open the door, but tripped over her own duffel, that seemed to always be in the wrong place.

"I see you now." She quipped, and cracking up, they both headed out the door. Adrien's chauffeur wasn't there yet, but Kagami was glad to wait. She looked at Adrien, the only boy in all of Paris who could make her laugh, and knowing that this was the perfect time, she stepped forward and kissed him.

Kissing Adrien was like a dream, a dream that she had been waiting for for a long, long time. What made it even better was that Adrien was into it. She had just begun to really enjoy the feeling when she heard frantic footsteps, like someone was running from them. Kagami immediately broke away from the kiss, whirling around in time to see a raven pigtail disappearing around the corner. Marinette.

Marinette? Wait a second- this wasn't right. Why would Marinette be watching them kiss? Unless...

"No. No no no. This can't be right." Kagami's mind spun. Adrien was not the cheating kind of guy. she didn't want to believe it, but it was the only reasonable explanation. Suddenly, anger overtook her. She turned around, facing Adrien, her face hot.

"How could you? How could you! Don't you understand how hard this will be on Marinette? It is none of your business to be messing around with relationships! How could you?"

Adrien looked hurt and confused. "Kagami... please, what did I do?"

But Kagami was done with him. She ran home, fuming and asking herself why she had been so stupid.

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Now, Kagami lay in her bed, trying to erase her anger. She had dropped by Marinette's bakery earlier that day, but her parents said Marinette was on a walk. After reluctantly walking home, she had tried calming herself, but of course, it didn't work. It wasn't like she expecting herself to chill out easily. Adrien was the only person in the world she had trusted, the only person she had ever opened herself up to. The only person she had ever loved.

And now he had ruined it.

Kagami hardly realized she when she started crying. Kagami hardly realized when the picture she was holding ripped in half. She hardly realized when an akuma flew into each half. But what she did realize was that Hawk Moth was right. If she couldn't teach Adrien a lesson as Kagami, then she couldn't be Kagami anymore.

So Kowareta she was.

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Hey, just saying- Kowareta has a meaning. Check Google Translate. Also, check out Kagami's other akumatized names, you might be surprised! One last thing- Translate Devil into Japanese, I practically exploded when I did it.


	5. Falling

**Authors Note**

I recommend searching up Kagami on Google Translate before reading the chapter. I've got a reference to the translation in there somewhere :)

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Adrien flopped onto his bed, exhausted. His closed his eyes and groaned. Plagg hovered over him.

"Don't even think about cheese, Plagg," Adrien said, clearly irritated.

"Someone's got an attitude," Plagg shot back, offended. The quami bobbed over to Adriens desk chair.

Adrien opened his eyes, "What do you expect? You expect me to be nice? Don't judge a guy who got kissed by a girl who liked him, than saw one of his friends running from them when they were kissing, than got screamed at by the same girl who kissed him for no absolute reason!" Adrien drew a breath, and wished he had shut his mouth. Now Plagg was mad at him, along with Kagami and Marinette. "Go form a squad, why don't you?" he muttered under his breath. Shoving a pillow under his head, he rolled over.

Adrien lay there for a while. He didn't know why he was so mad. It was okay to be mad, but why had he been so rude to Plagg? He puzzled over this for a few minutes before he heard a knock at the door. He sat up and mumbled a lazy 'Come in'. Nathalie entered.

"Dinner is ready," Nathalie said, surveyed his rumpled hair and tired face, "I can bring it to you room if you wish."

Adrien actually managed a small smile. Nathalie knew him so well. "Yes, please. Thank you, Nathalie." She left and Adrien forced himself not to crash back down on his bed. "You have to prepare for patrol," he told himself. Patrol. Right. He immediately got out of bed.

Nathalie seemed happy to find him more lively when she returned. Adrien took the tray with thanks and went to his desk table. The chair was empty. Adrien sat down and looked over at the bed, recognizing a lump under the blanket as Plagg. "Plagg?" he said tentatively. "Do want some Camebert?" Adrien saw the lump rise, and smiled as Plagg said, "Well if you insist, I'll eat it"

As Plagg gobbled down his Camenbert, Adrien barely touched his food. When Plagg finished, he grabbed a rose from a vase on his tray and stood.

"Plagg, claws out!"

Chat Noir climbed out of the window and jumped up onto the roof. He waited. And waited. And waited. After almost seven minutes, Ladybug had still not shown up. Chat Noir scanned the distance worriedly. Just as he was about to go look for her, her saw a red dot a few buildings away. He smiled. As she approached, he bowed.

"Good evening, my lady."

He offered her the rose, which she declined. Chat felt slightly disappointed, but he had seen her hesitate a little bit, and he knew he had to give her time.

"So, what was the hold up, M'lady?"

Ladybug arched an eyebrow. "Me, hold up? You were supposed to arrive at the Dupain-Chengs bakery 10 minutes ago!"

Chat Noir chuckled. "And here I was, waiting for you to arrive at the Agreste Mansion. Bit of miscommunication, I see"

Ladybug, nodded. "We can meet here, if you like."

"Now that that's settled, what did you want to meet here about?"

"Oh, I just wanted to say, keep an eye on baby August. He was akumatized three times last week."

Chat Noir grinned mischievously. "When you really love something, you do anything for it, even if it's lollipops."

Ladybug rolled her eyes, but she seemed to take the words to heart. Chat wondered if she was thinking about him, or the other boy whom she said she loved.

Ladybug interrupted his thoughts. "Time to get going, Chat."

They bid each other goodbye and swung off in opposite directions. In Chat Noir's opinion, patrol was rather boring. Patrol had been especially boring ever since Ladybug decided that they should go separate ways to get the job done faster. And it wasn't like there were many criminals at this time. Even Hawk Moth had a sense of when to take a break.

Or so he thought.

He noticed a flash, his cat vision narrowing in on a knife. He noticed feathers falling and breathed a sigh of relief. But even though he knew the victim had been a bird, he couldn't rest. He had to see what killed it.

He jumped from building to building, following the glint of a knife. Oddly, he couldn't see any other part of the akuma. He wondered who it was. As he jumped another building, something clicked in his brain.

He knew who it was. It was Kagami.

Chat slipped on the next building and landed with a thud on the roof. The knife rotated, and it owner seemed to fade back into visibility. He saw a girl covered in red. On her chest, he saw a bright pink heart beating rapidly. He caught a glimpse of a cracked heart on the back of her head. Chat glanced at the knife and shivered.

"Who are you?" he questioned, trying to make time.

The akuma laughed. "Kowareta, of course. Not that silly little old name, Kagami. Now I'm no reflection of myself, I'm the real me."

Chat Noir scowled. "Well, Ms. Kowareta, is it the usual? Give me your miraculous or else… Not that anyone has ever given us their 'or else'."

Kowareta dived at him. Chat jumped aside, and they battled, knife and stick. He just hoped Ladybug came soon.

Kowareta was good, Chat Noir had to admit. Her good reflexes came from years of fencing, and she was smart enough to not fall for any of his tricks, but instead plan ones of her own. She definitely had something up her sleeve. Something that Chat did not see coming.

Chat Noir heard footsteps behind him. He stepped back from the fight and turned around. Ladybug looked at him quizzically.

"Who are you fighting, Chat?"

Chat looked back and saw nothing except the dark Paris sky. He glanced back at Ladybug, who was on the building in front of him.

"No, my lady! Don't jump!"

But it was to late. The tip of Kowareta's knife showed up first and the rest of her followed as she lunged at his lady. Chat Noir couldn't let this happen. He dived in front of her.

"Nooo!"

He felt a knife stab his side and a leg kick his back. He was flying through the frigid air, his ears stinging. And then he landed he landed with a thump on the ground. He could hardly open his eyes, but through the slits he saw Gabriel and Nathalie rushing towards him.

And then everything went black.

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Hey guys! You know how Kagami's name means mirror, and how she said she wasn't just a mere reflection of herself anymore? Well, guineapiggirl60 suggested including a link to "Reflection" from Mulan, and I totally agreed. If you're done with the chapter, please listen to, and you will realize how similar the two stories are.

Here's the link:

Reflection Link


	6. A Hero's Tears

**Authors Note:**

Sorry for not updating in 5000 billion years! Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Everything happened in slow motion. Kowareta, turning visible. Thrusting her knife out, inches away from Ladybugs heart. Chat Noir, diving forward, saving her. Kowareta's blade piercing his ebony leather costume. The dark Paris sky, swallowing him up.

Now Ladybug could feel the same invisible force forming a hand and punching her in the stomach. She fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. When had she become so attached to him? And why?

"Chat? Chat Noir?!" Ladybug cried through her quiet sobs. How bad could one day go? What did she do to deserve this bad- no terrible- luck?

"Lucky charm!"

Ladybug threw her hand into the air, and pulled it back down holding a… red and black pebble? She stared at it for a few seconds and then threw it as far away as she could. How could they? What was she going to do now?

Ladybug heard laughter behind her. A yard away stood the akuma. "Chat? Chat where are you? Oh, Chat Noir, I'll come save you with my pebble!" She mimicked in a singsong voice.

Ladybugs face darkened. She twirled her yo-yo threateningly, a growl escaping her lips. Kowareta cocked her head, the corners of her mouth turning up in a taunting smile. Ladybug couldn't take it anymore. She pounced. It was a strange feeling she hadn't experienced before. It powered her more than anything else and enabled her to fight the talented girl in front of her. But after a few long minutes of witnessing Kowareta's skills, Ladybug began to doubt. But Kowareta wasn't going to win. She couldn't win. Good always wins.

Ladybug kicked the akuma on the leg. Kowareta stumbled, her knife flying across the roof. As she crashed to the ground, Ladybug looked at the two halves of a heart on the middle of her back. Which one would the akuma be in? She didn't have time to reason. Going with her gut feeling, she punched the right half just before Kowareta got up. An indigo butterfly flew out. Catching it in her yo-yo, Ladybug performed her usual routine, but with less than half as much gusto.

After the white butterfly fluttered out of her sight, the hero collapsed, exhausted, onto the rooftop. She lay flat on her back breathing heavily, and did not move for a few minutes. When she at last lifted her head, she expected to see someone standing there, wondering what happened. But when she sat up, she saw shining metal, and behind it, and a villain smiling through her apple red costume.

Ladybug felt a scream bubble up in her throat, and bit her lip. She couldn't let anyone see how scared she was. She was probably over-reacting, anyway. Kowareta couldn't possibly still have her powers. No villain could. But even her own thoughts sounded weak.

As if reading her mind, Kowareta said calmly, "Two akuma's is better than one, wouldn't you agree?"

Smiling at Ladybug's shocked face, Kowareta continued, "Give me your Miraculous, Ladybug, and I will spare you. Make the right choice, don't be weak like that wimpy kitten."

And that was her mistake. At the mention of her partner, Ladybug remembered herself. She dodged the knife with a simple flip downwards, scratched her back, but the sting gave her energy, fuel. She grabbed onto the side of a different house, pulling herself up to the roof and then leaping from roof to roof into the blanket of darkness from the Paris night sky. As she jumped over building after building, a cold voice in the background said, "You can run, but you can't hide, Ladybug."

Finally, Ladybug stopped. Her ladybug vision highlighted the roof she was on, but she didn't know why. Scanning the roof, she spotted a pebble. And just like that, she had a plan.

Ladybug fell to her knees just as Kowareta landed gracefully on the building, back to her. Ladybug covered her face with her hands and stifled a sob. She could hear the criminal whirl around to look at her, and she continued sobbing. "I'm not going to be able to fight her! I'm going to lose my miraculous! Please, someone help me!"

She felt cold metal pressed against her throat, and felt relieved that Kowareta had not seen through her.

"I gave you a chance, but you denied it. Give me your miraculous, Ladybug, or I will run you through with this knife, and take it myself!"

With another sob, Ladybug said, "Okay! You'll get my miraculous, you filthy villain!"

She reached behind her ear, where she had stashed her lucky charm. She threw it across the roof, and Kowareta turned away to retrieve it. Ladybug jumped up, and let all the anger, frustration, and worry escape her as she threw out her arm, crumbling the remaining half of the broken heart. A dark purple akuma fluttered out, and Ladybug caught it in her yo-yo. After deevilizing it, she threw the pebble into the air, only hoping it would restore everything.

Kagami kneeled on the roof, looking confused.

"Ladybug? Was I akumatized? Where is Chat Noir?"

Ladybug didn't answer any of these questions. She wordlessly scooped her up and took her home. She was grateful that Kagami didn't push, and that she seemed to understand that Ladybug wasn't in the mood to talk about it.

After dropping Kagami at her house, she bounded home, landing smoothly on the roof. When she said Miraculous Ladybug… everything had to have been restored… Chat would be here any minute now…

Looking into the darkness, the hero waited for her partner to leap onto the balcony, a playful smile on his face. She patiently waited for him, remembering how he had done the same for her at Adrien's house, and how she had come late and evidently worried him. But this time... he wasn't late… he couldn't be late, because he was never coming.

Ladybug sat on the edge of her balcony and cried.


	7. The Worst is Yet to Come

**Authors Note**

**Hi peoples! Thanks for sticking with me this long, you guys have been really supportive. And, yes, this is Gabrinath **

A few strands of purple-red hair poked out from underneath a thick, pearl blanket. They covered a buttermilk-colored face, but were unable to hide the drops of water that were slowly falling onto the blanket.

Nathalie was crying herself to sleep again.

She had been doing this a lot the past few nights. Too many emotions were fighting for dominance in her mind, and she found herself either wanting to sob dramatically or scream loudly and punch something. Or both.

Of course, she did neither. She had kept her temper under control all the time. She had to remain calm, collected, and relaxed. It was her job. It was expected of her. The only time she let herself cry was in the privacy of her bedroom at night, when she was unable to sleep for fear of what dreams would haunt her.

She still remembered the day, the one day that had turned her life upside down and put her in the state of trauma that she was in now.

_Gabriel was in his layer, which Nathalie, just after another akuma had been defeated. He wasn't clenching his fists, as usual. Just standing there, looking at the sky. _

"_Nathalie, I think it is time for us to develop a new plan," He said, his voice slightly higher than usual. "Would you, perhaps, like to, um, go for a, um, walk this evening? To make a new plan, of course."_

_Nathalie could've sworn that her cheeks turned the exact same color as the dyed streak of red in her hair. "That sounds like a great idea, Gabri - sir."_

_What was she thinking, calling him Gabriel? She could only hope she hadn't pushed things too far._

_He turned around, offering her the slightest hint of a smile. "Well, that's settled. Let's go, shall we?" _

_She felt dizzy as she followed him out of the attic._

_Of course, that was nothing compared to how she felt later that day. Before sunset, the pair walked out into the street, excited. They chatted, their conversations never once mentioning akumas or the Miraculous. Nathalie could feel her cheeks get warmer with every minute, despite the chill in the air. When they reached the Eiffel Tower, Gabriel had slid his hand into hers, giving it a squeeze. For a second, Nathalie wondered if she had died of embarrassment in the attic and was now in heaven._

_It almost seems too good to be true. And apparently, it was. They were just about to pass the Eiffel Tower when Gabriel hand flew to his red and white tie, which concealed his miraculous. Nathalie knew all too well what was going to happen._

"_Nathalie, I feel anger and heartbreak, just… too strong to ignore. It is too great of an opportunity. You can keep walking, if you want, but I have to go. I … we … we can talk another day."_

_Nathalie could feel a pang deep in her heart, just as it split into a million tiny pieces, and she wondered if Gabriel realized that there was a heartbroken girl right in front of him. But, she didn't object. It just wasn't meant to be. So she simply said, "Yes, sir. Of course, I understand." and watched as he walked back down the street, turned a corner, and disappeared._

_Tears ran down her face, and she brushed them off with her hand. She sat down, leaning her head on the base of the tower, and let the evening wind distract her from her thoughts. She took deep, shaky breaths, in and out, until her cheeks were dry and her mind felt a little more clear. She stood up, her legs slightly wobbly, and took a step, and another, toward the direction of home._

_Of course, she was just starting to feel better. So what do you think happened next?_

_She could hear it before she saw it. A dark figure flew through the air, their cry echoed through the empty streets of Paris. Her legs stopped for a second, then moved without her telling them to, taking her closer and closer to the victim. And that was when she saw it. The vision that had been haunting her in her dreams._

_Chat Noir, blood dripping from his side, eyes closed, falling to his death. But when he hit the ground, his transformation dropped and he became Adrien. Her Adrien. The one who she loved like a son, the one who she had been so worried about, was the one she had been fighting against all along. But now it was too late to apologize. She dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face, as she put her hands on his pale cheeks._

"_No! Adrien, please Adrien, come back to me, please!"_

_She sat there, unable to move, holding him and crying. Time slipped by, and she did not know how long it took for someone to walk out of the darkness, towards her. Actually they didn't walk, they sprinted. And when they saw Adrien, they screamed._

"_Oh my God! Oh my freaking God!"_

_They whipped out their phone and called the hospital. They talked fast, but Nathalie caught snippets of their conversation. _

"_... unconscious and bleeding…"_

"_... I don't know, I just got here…"_

"_...right by the Eiffel Tower..."_

"_Just stop freaking asking questions and get here!"_

_Silence after that. The person dropped to their knees, but Nathalie didn't take her eyes off Adrien. They slid their arm around her shoulder, hugging her. _

"_It's going to be okay, alright? The ambulance is on the way. He i__**s**_ _going to be fine."_

_Nathalie wished she could believe them. She really, really did. But she couldn't, so she just nodded mutely and bit back a sob._

_The ambulance arrived after that, and everything was a blur. Nathalie and her mysterious savior were permitted to ride in the back with Adrien, but she didn't remember much. When they finally got to the hospital, Nathalie and her companion were shown into the waiting room. Nathalie sat down on the hard white chair and leaned back, closing her eyes. Soon, she drifted into a much welcomed, dreamless sleep._

Nathalie squeezed her eyes shut, trying to erase her terrible memories. Of course, what Nathalie didn't know as she drifted herself to sleep that day was that this was just the beginning. The worst was yet to come.

Xxx

**Sorry I tortured Nathalie so much. And don't worry, Gabrinath will resurface!**


End file.
